Why We Build The Cathedral For The Nation’s Salvation And What Its
Significance Is

The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:

As there are still some persons and groups that continue to contest in
the country and abroad the need and opportuneness to build the Cathedral
for the Nation’s Salvation in Bucharest, the Romanian Patriarchate
explains that the New Cathedral is a necessity and a symbol:

1. Liturgical necessity

Only who celebrates or attends the solemn liturgical moments and the
church ceremonies in the present Patriarchal Cathedral knows the
difficulties brought about by the acute lack of space for the normal
development of the religious services. The present Patriarchal
Cathedral, built in the middle of the 17th century (1656 – 1658) was
first church monastery and later on metropolitan cathedral in 1688. From
1925 forward, once the Romanian Patriarchate was set up, it has been
temporary used as Patriarchal Cathedral till the Cathedral for the
Nation’s Salvation is built, as the text by Patriarch Miron Cristea
above the entrance door reads, written after the restoration works from
1932 - 1935. All the metropolitan cathedrals of the Romanian provinces
are much more spacious than the present Patriarchal Cathedral and
provide the clergy and faithful with better conditions for celebrating
the religious services.

2. Public necessity

According to the Bill of the Religious Cults no. 489/2006, the religious
cults are legal persons of private law and public utility (article 8,
paragraph 1). In the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation religious
ceremonies with national public character will be celebrated, like
remembrance services for the heroes of the Romanian nation on the feast
of the Ascension of the Lord – Heroes’ Day (one of the dedication days
of the future Patriarchal Cathedral) and of the Heroes of December 1989
or the Te Deum service on the National Day – 1 December. At the same
time, some other ceremonies will be held in the Cathedral for the
Nation’s Salvation, as for example anniversaries, or commemorations with
national and international character, guests from abroad will be
received and events with religious significance will be organised like
congresses, conferences and other manifestations of the Romanian priests
and young people from the country and abroad. The public utility of the
future Patriarchal Cathedral will be also emphasised by the generous
space of almost 6 ha around it arranged as public park, enlarging the
surface of the greenery of Bucharest.

3. Symbol of the unity between the spiritual and social work of the Church

In the complex of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation the spiritual
work of liturgical catechetic homiletic character will go off in unity
with and completing the social-cultural work – through the Conference
Centre and the Museum of the Romanian Christianity – the
social-philanthropic one – through the canteen and pilgrims’ hostel –
and social-medical one – through the Centre of Diagnosis and Treatment –
all of them in the precincts of the new Cathedral.

4. Symbol of the unity between generations and of the Romanians from
everywhere

The Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation will be representative for the
faith of the majority of the Romanian people through its traditional
Romanian Byzantine architectural style. The paintings and mosaics of the
future Patriarchal Cathedral will include saints and places of worships
representative for all the Romanian provinces and even for the Romanian
communities abroad.

5. Symbol of the national dignity

The Romanian Orthodox Church is the only one of the Orthodox Churches
without a representative cathedral for the faith of the majority of the
Romanian people. In several countries of the world, the Cathedral of the
capital is also called national cathedral. For example, National
Cathedral of Washington is the national cathedral where ceremonies with
national symbol value take place. It should be mentioned the fact that
National Arena stadium with a capacity of 55,000 places was built in
Bucharest with public funds without great protests concerning the
opportuneness of this national sportive objective. Yet, the Cathedral
for the Nation’s Salvation with 5,000 places capacity will be built only
partially from public funds, while the rest of the money will be
provided through the donations of the clergy and of the Romanian
Orthodox faithful from the country and abroad.

6. Complementary to the schools and hospitals of Romania

The new Patriarchal Cathedral cannot compete or be opposed to the
schools and hospitals of Romania, as those hostile to its construction
say, because it is complementary to them. The public schools of Romania
are competed and completed by many private schools appeared after 1990,
just as the hospitals and other state medical units are competed and
completed by private medical centres. Yet, the Cathedral for the
Nation’s Salvation cannot be replaced by a private one, because the
Cathedral is a symbol of a great community in prayer, of a whole city.

The Church is the only school that is not ended with a school leaving
examination or with studies for a doctor’s degree, but always remains a
lifelong spiritual school which guides people to look for the eternal
heavenly life ever since their earthly life. Moreover, it is the only
hospital that heals the man of sins both through forgiveness and through
the cultivation of virtues in order to get spiritual health and pure
love for harmony in family and society.

So, the Church is a spiritual school and hospital, complementary to all
the public schools and hospitals. This is why, following the request of
the Church, religion is taught in public schools educating the children
and young people in the spirit of the perennial eternal values,
completing in this way the scientific disciplines, while charity priests
are present in hospital helping and completing the medical scientific
practice, because man is not only body, but also soul.

7. In conclusion, it is more useful and respectable to build with joy a
symbol-space of communion, than passionately defend a spiritual vacuum!

This truth is confirmed by the crowd of Romanian clergy and faithful who
have already begun to offer with joy some little money for the Cathedral
that represents their desire to be strengthened in faith and grown in
dignity.

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